Does everyone remember Jay Bouwmeester? He’s the golden defenseman
who was going to be the highly sought after free agent last summer
before the Calgary Flames nabbed him in a trade-and-sign deal just days
before free agency began. He was the prototypical defenseman everyone
wants; a skilled goal scorer, a great skater and solid in his own zone.

He
wanted to go to a playoff team — one reason he desperately wanted out
of Florida — and now he faces the possibility of missing the playoffs
with his new team. And he hasn’t done much to help his team, either.

With
just two goals and 24 points, Bouwmeester has produced at a much, much
lower level than than he did in Florida. The Flames sure could use some
of his scoring right about now. Says Bouwmeester,
via Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun:

“I don’t know,” said the NHL’s current ironman Monday when asked why
he’s only put up half the points he generally accrued in Florida.

“If I did, I’d do something about it. Sometimes, things just don’t
really go for you and you can’t get a break. I haven’t scored in a long
time (more than four months and55 games to be exact) and that’s never
fun for anybody, but you focus
on the things that can give you a chance and get some shots.

“I don’t want to be running around and taking myself out of position
to take a risk to score goals if it’s not necessarily there. At the same
time, sometimes you have to put yourself in those positions.”

At this point of the season, playing it safe isn’t exactly what
Calgary needs.